Seeking ‘An Index that Moves’
'I didn’t like the blended or hybrid indexes in annuities at first because I thought they were too complex,' said Bryan Anderson, founder of Annuity Straight Talk. 'But over...
‘Sometimes the Market Swings Your Way’
'On average, there will be no double-digit returns,” said Don Dady, co-founder of Annexus. 'But once in a while there will be. We have definitely seen some phenomenal returns...
Too Much ‘Hocus Pocus’
David Lau of DPL Financial Partners, the fee-based annuity platform, likes indexed annuities but doubts the value of the 'volatility-controlled' indexes often featured in them.
The Point of Indexing (in Annuities)
Every June, RIJ focuses on indexed annuities. Last year, we studied options in indexed annuities. This year we consider the indexes themselves, especially 'hybrid' and 'volatility-controlled' indexes. Bryan Anderson,...
The Irony of Inflation Forecasting (Research Roundup)
In this month's roundup, we learn that CEOs pay little attention to inflation. We also find out why retirees keep saving, why "centaurs" pick stocks so well, which financial...
Why Retirement Bills are a Bipartisan Slam-Dunk in Congress
Raising the contributions limits in order to encourage saving by the under-saved seems as useful as raising the height of a basketball net to encourage the participation of shorter...
If the DOL Investigates You…
Here are five FAQs about Department of Labor investigations of retirement plan advisers, and answers from attorneys at the prominent ERISA law firm Faegre Drinker. (Photo: Labor Secretary Marty...
Merton and Muralidhar’s Retirement Income Vision
In this video, Nobel laureate Robert Merton (in photo) and Arun Muralidhar talk about SeLFIES, their solution to the retirement income challenge.
Get a Downside Buffer with Your Variable Annuity
Delaware Life executives Tom Seitz and Dale Uthoff explain their new variable annuity, Accelerator Prime, with RIJ. Like hot-selling registered index-linked annuities, it offers a downside "buffer."
The Trade-Offs of a Big Spend on Infrastructure
Finding money for Biden's infrastructure plan will be easier than finding the human and physical resources to do it, and easier than agreeing on what to give up to...
Did QLACs Get a Last-Minute Haircut?
The Ways and Means Committee considered raising the limit on pre-tax contributions to a deferred income annuity to $200,000, but then, apparently for budget reasons, let the current limit...
Secure 2.0: A Booster Shot for Qualified Savings Industry
The proposed bill would allow ETFs in variable annuities and remove the 25% limit on the share of IRA money that can be used to buy a Qualified Longevity...
Research Roundup
We summarize four recent papers: 'Portfolios for Long-Term Investors,' 'What is the Value of Annuities?,' 'Public Economics and Inequality: Uncovering Our Social Nature,' and 'Financial and Total Wealth Inequality...
The Fallen Angels of ‘Nomadland’
Many elderly poor in America have always been poor. But the elderly poor in 'Nomadland' seem relatively new to the game. We compare the people in the film to...
Where’s the Infrastructure for Infrastructure Renewal?
Infrastructure renewal is long overdue in the US. We can come up with the money. But we don't currently have the institutions or the processes that will be needed...
Big drop in net income for publicly traded life/annuity firms in 2020
A $4.7 billion realized investment loss on derivatives for Prudential Financial was the main driver of the drop in its net income, according to a new report from ratings...
A Chip Off the Old Rock?
Bloomberg reported this week that Prudential is considering selling its retirement plan recordkeeping business. Prudential didn't confirm the report, but several industry insiders did. Low interest rates, high costs...
Falling discount rates hurt DB pensions at insurers: AM Best
Only 184 insurance companies rated by AM Best had defined benefit plans at year-end 2019, compared with 257 in 2016, according to a new report. Aggregated insurance company unfunded...
Raising Revenue–and Consciousness
With his Made in America Tax Plan, announced Wednesday, President Biden would raise corporate tax rates and try to stop transfer pricing worldwide. He wants to raise revenue and...
What’s Cooking at ‘Income Lab’?
At their software start-up, Income Lab, three former Jackson National Life executives want to help advisers help clients optimize retirement income. They enter a financial planning field dominated...
